Dear neighbors,
Thank you. This was a people-powered campaign, built by neighbors who knocked doors, made calls and talked with friends in every part of our city. St. Pete raised me, and serving as your Mayor is the honor of my life.
You told me what you need from City Hall, and I listened. God gave me two ears and one mouth, and I respect the ratio. I will keep listening.
Here is the plain truth about the road ahead. Amendment 3 will take about $33 million out of the city’s budget in its first year, and more the year after. That first year lands in my first full budget. My job is to make sure you do not feel it in the services you count on. That means reviewing every department line by line, finding savings before any new fee, recovering the water revenue the city loses to aging meters, and putting my relationships in Tallahassee and Washington to work for St. Pete.
It also means growing our way forward. When we cut red tape and get good projects from planning to completion faster, every new home and business helps pay for the police officers, firefighters, parks and libraries that make St. Pete home.
On my first day, I will establish an Office of Open Government, just as I did on my first day as Governor. You deserve to see where every dollar goes. And to the city employees who keep St. Pete running every day: I see you, and I am grateful.
Service is a calling, not a job. If you feel that calling, join our team. If you have an idea for our city, share your thoughts. I want to hear from you.
Don’t worry about the title. It’s just Charlie.
Charlie Crist
Mayor-elect, City of St. Petersburg
About the transition
Our transition team is bringing together community leaders, policy experts and residents from across St. Petersburg. Our job is to make sure this administration is ready to serve from the moment Charlie takes the oath of office on January 7, 2027.
November 3
Election Day
St. Petersburg chooses Charlie Crist as its next Mayor.
Now
Building the team
Meeting with city leaders, listening to residents and recruiting talented people to serve.
January 7, 2027
Swearing-in
Charlie takes office and establishes the Office of Open Government.
Next
First 100 days
A public report to residents on what we have done and what comes next.
Trusted.
Charlie has served Floridians as a State Senator, Education Commissioner, Attorney General, Governor and Member of Congress. He brings decades of experience and relationships in Tallahassee and Washington home to St. Pete.
Listening.
Charlie spent this campaign in every corner of the city, hearing from residents, small business owners and city employees. God gave him two ears and one mouth, and he respects the ratio.
Ready on Day One.
Charlie has led a state through hurricanes and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He knows how to steady a budget, manage a crisis and get government working for people from the first day.
Five guiding lights will shape this administration, each one a promise to every neighborhood.
Steady.
Protect the services you count on while closing the Amendment 3 budget gap. A line-by-line review, savings before any new fee, digital water meters to recover lost revenue, and every state and federal dollar we can bring home.
Grow.
A bigger tax base, not bigger tax bills. Faster permitting and modern land use rules that get good projects built, new health care and life sciences jobs, and continued progress toward making St Pete affordable.
Open.
A City Hall that answers to you. An Office of Open Government, a public dashboard for every city dollar, and weekly Meet the Mayor sessions.
Ready.
Prepared before the storm. Citywide text alerts, debris contracts signed before every season, a full review of federal storm reimbursements, and stormwater priorities set by real flood risk.
Build.
Opportunity for the next generation. Mentorship, scholarships and skilled trades apprenticeships built with local employers, colleges and nonprofits, and protected after-school programs.